As It Should Be
by Anjirika
Summary: "He turned around, hoping beyond hope that he would find what he wanted to find. Rose, the Doctor's Rose was standing at the other end of the street." This is an alternate take to "The Stolen Earth" where there is no Dalek to interrupt. Plz R


**AS IT SHOULD BE**

"Why don't you ask her yourself,"

The Doctor had just asked Donna if she could remember anything else of what Rose had told her in the alternate timeline. And instead of telling him what she remembered, Donna had come out with that statement. The Doctor was confused, for he could see Donna looking at a point somewhere behind him. He turned around, hoping beyond hope that he would find what he wanted to find, but a small naysayer part of his soul saying that Donna was mistaken.

But Donna wasn't mistaken.

Rose, the Doctor's Rose was standing at the other end of the street. The lamplight illuminated off her golden hair and even though the distance between them was great, he could see that she walking towards him, and that she was smiling.

The Doctor began walking towards Rose as well before he broke out into a run. He could feel his two heats beating for joy within his chest and when they were close enough to each other, Rose launched herself into his arms. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her small frame and couldn't help but remember all the times that they had shared such a bone-crushing hug as this.

He remembered when she had been trapped in the television network, and when he had rescued her from the planet that never should have been. The Doctor thought back to all their adventures, the good times and the scary times and he still couldn't believe that he had let a companion into his hearts so fully.

"It is you isn't it?" the Doctor asked, putting Rose down and holding her at arms length so that he could get a good look at her. "Rose."

"Yeah," she replied with a smile. "It's me."

"My Rose,"

Rose nodded. "I'm here. I've come back to you."

"Oi!" called a familiar voice. The Doctor and Rose turned to see Jack walking towards them. "As much as I love reunions, we have a planet to save."

"Right," the Doctor agreed as he took Rose by the hand. "Everyone, into the Tardis, quickly."

* * *

Somehow, through quick thinking and all that Rose had gleaned from Pete's world, the Doctor was able to destroy the entire Dalek army. It wasn't something that he had wanted to do, but when faced with the impossible choice of forging a new peace with his greatest enemy and letting the twenty-seven planets be destroyed, the Doctor chose the planets and their people over the beings encased in metal.

Things had hit a little snag when the Doctor couldn't send the Earth back and he has used all his companions, past and future long with Jackie Tyler to help fly the Earth home. Once there he dropped his friends off where they needed to go. Jack was dropped off at Torchwood where he found Gwen & Ianto very much alive. Sarah Jane went back to her son, Martha and Mickey were dropped off in central London and the Doctor was about to take his Rose back to the parallel world before she stopped him.

"Don't even think about it Doctor," she warned.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"I'm staying right here, with you."

"And me," Donna added.

"And you Donna," Rose assured with a smile.

She had got over her initial jealousy with Donna and realized that the red-head loud mouth was an asset to the Doctor in more ways than one. Even though the Doctor and Donna had no real idea what had transpired, there was a part of Rose who knew what had happened in the alternate timeline and how it was Donna who had saved the Doctor from himself when he had been grieving her loss.

"Rose," the Doctor began again.

"No," she ordered. "I'm staying here, in the Tardis. Where I belong."

The Doctor wanted to argue with her, but he knew that he couldn't. He could circumvent her feelings and his and not give her a choice, but the Doctor had done that once before and it had caused his so much heart ache. "Alright," he conceded. "You're right. You're staying here."

"One question though," Rose began as she watched Donna sneak away to the other side of the control room. "When I was last standing on Bad Wolf bay, on the worst day of my life, you said something to me."

"I said Rose Tyler,"

"Yeah," Rose agreed, stepping closer to the Doctor. "And how was that sentence going to end?"

"Does it need saying?" asked the Doctor. He had never been good at saying what he meant, and even though he knew that life was sometimes too short to not say how one felt, he was still hesitant.

Rose nodded. "Yeah. I think it does."

The Doctor sighed and stepped closer to Rose so that they were mere inches apart. "I was going to say, Rose Tyler... I love you."

Rose's face broke out into a broad grin as she grabbed the Doctor's face and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. She had waited a very long time for him to say that. There had been moments in Pete's world where she had been so sure that the Doctor really loved her, and then there had been moments where she had been so distraught that she thought their entire relationship had been constructed in her mind. But now, hearing it for herself, Rose knew that the Doctor loved her and she would stay in the Tardis with him, as it should be.

END

* * *

_Author's Note: This story came to me after watching Stolen Earth again. I always loved the reunion between Doctor and Rose, until the Dalek's ruined it. I wondered what would have happened if they had been allowed to meet each other then and there and this little drabble came out of nowhere. I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review to let me know what you think. _


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